Quest for Loki's Scepter
by kaytoshy
Summary: Loki finds an unsuspecting pawn who he entrusts with locating his prized possession. His scepter..
1. Asgard

**Please feel free to leave me reviews! I'm very interested in hearing any feedback you can give me to make this story better! For now it's a crossover between Thor and Captain America characters but as it continues I'm planning to add the rest of the Avengers into the storyline! Thank you!**

Asgard

The All-Father known as Odin, has woken up to another beautiful sunrise. All was well in Asgard and in the rest of the nine realms, all thanks to his son, Thor. He should've been content with the legacy his son had forged with his friends, the Avengers, but he wasn't. Peace was too easy. He calls on his retainers and his daily routine begins. Another day in the life of an old king, he thought.

After getting dressed, He walked into his throne room only to find his seat already occupied. He is amused at the audacity of this usurper. "At least I'll have some amusement today," he thought. And yet, it seemed all too convenient. How did she get inside?!

There was no time to search for an answer. His guards immediately surround the throne and put their spears up to eliminate the threat sitting so casually in their king's place of honor. Their duty was to protect the king at all costs. "STOP!" Odin commanded. "Do not move. All of you!"

A beautiful woman, with long brown hair and dark, piercing eyes stared down at him. She showed no fear amidst the weapons so close to her flawless face. She was challenging him to claim what was rightfully his. She was dressed in an emerald green and gold battle dress. Her armor reminded him of his adopted son, Loki. She sat on his golden throne like a queen would. Tall, graceful and regal. But her eyes betrayed her intentions. She looked at him as if she was ready to commit murder. If looks could kill, he thought. He smiled at her and spoke to his guards, "Leave us. I will take care of this unwanted guest."

The men unwillingly relinquish their attack positions and slowly back away from the mysterious woman. Their commander then approached the king and knelt. "Your Grace, let us deal with this. She is not worth your time."

The king smirked again. "Oh but she is... Leave us! NOW!" He shouted. The commander, startled, orders his men into a line and they exit the chamber in haste. Alone with the king, the woman finally speaks.

"I have searched the entire universe for you and yet here you are. Pretending to be a king!" She stands and starts to walk towards him. Odin's expression changes from amusement to rage.

"I am a king!" He thunders.

She looks disgusted. "Oh yes," she stops and takes a deep bow. "King Odin! I am so sorry to have offended you, forgive me for my ignorance!" She says sarcastically as she reached him. The king will not stand to be insulted. He clenches his fists and awaits the opportunity to show this wench what being king means.

"You, my love are a fraud. A liar, and no matter how good you think your glamours are, I will always see through them. I know who you are." She walks up behind him and places a kiss on his shoulder. "I know it is you, Loki."

The glamour faded instantly and there he stood in front of her. His black hair had only gotten longer, but he kept it sleeked back as he'd always done. She noticed that he was less pale than when she saw him last, which was good. Being king suited him. Loki was in matching green and gold armor. A perfect compliment to her. And yet so content, he no longer looked like the crazed psychopath he was before.

So why restore her memories? she thought. She was better off without them. She had moved on. She had conveniently forgotten everything that happened between the both of them. Now it hurt all over again. Maybe a bit more now that she realized he'd been alive all this time and he managed to live without her by his side. It made her angrier. Trust Loki to make things complicated, the selfish bastard, still keeping her thoughts to herself.

"What do you want from me, Loki?" She demands, turning him to face her. "Haven't I given you enough? Must I relive all the pain that you caused me again?! For what this time?"

"I need your help." He pleaded. "I need my scepter. You are the only one I trust."

Her anger finally overcomes her and she punches Loki in the face.


	2. Back on Earth

Back on Earth

She jolts up and wakes from her dream. "Oh no," she thought. "That was definitely a nightmare." Her partner wakes as well and sits up by her side. His metal arm is cold against her skin, but she is comforted when he reaches out and hugs her closer to him.

"What's wrong Minerva?" James asks.

Minerva, still preoccupied by what transpired, can't seem to look James Buchanan Barnes in the eyes. "Oh Bucky... I'm fine..It was just a nightmare. And yes, one that really creeped me out."

"Do you want to talk about it?" He asks her with genuine concern.

"No, not right now. Go back to bed. I'll tell you more about it in the morning." She looks up at him and gives him a quick kiss. She starts to pull away and tells him, "I need to make me a cup of tea. To calm down." She hops off their bed and starts heading for the door.

"Alright," Bucky lets out a small laugh and continues, "Don't stay up too late. We have to go to the VA tomorrow morning for therapy. Steve and Sam will be there. I'm making progress."

"I know and I am so proud," she walks back to Bucky and kisses him again. "I won't be long, I promise." She exits their bedroom.

The dark hallway to their kitchen seemed longer than usual. It was either that, or time had slowed down. Or she forgot how to walk. Whatever the reason she could only think of one thing. Loki.

"Why?! Why now?! Why me?!" Her thoughts screamed inside her head. He had broken the enchantment she had placed on herself to forget that he even existed. He was supposed to be dead! That's what Thor had led her to believe. "No. It's what He, wanted us to believe."

Fighting with herself wasn't going to solve anything, she thought. She turned the lights on in the kitchen, and then rummages through her cabinets to find her kettle. She held it out in front of her as she walked to the faucet to put water inside. Once full, she placed it on her favorite burner and turned the stove on. Afterwards she walked to her dining table and sat down on a chair to wait.

"What am I going to do?" Minerva started to cry. This internal battle could go on for hours, days even, but time was not on her side. Bucky would be up waiting until she was by his side again.

"Oh Bucky?! If you only knew what I had gotten myself into," she said softly.

"You can tell me, you know." He was standing there with a look of worry. She had been so distracted, she never heard him enter the room.

"Bucky, I know this will be hard to believe and I will do my best to explain everything, but first I have to ask? Do you trust me?" She stood up and made her way towards him. Minerva stopped a few feet away. She was afraid that he would hate her for what was about to come next.

"I trust you," he said simply. He closed the distance between them and wrapped his arms around her shoulders and pulled her in to him. Close enough to where she could hear his heart beating through his chest. "Now tell me."

Minerva looks up and starts to sob. "It's my brother. Loki. He's alive and he needs my help. I don't know why and I don't know what his plans are but he needs me. I'm not the person you think I am, but I can explain everything. If you will let me."

Bucky chuckled. "The things I do for love." The kettle starts to whistle. He walks up to the stove and turns the heat off. Now it was his turn to look in their cabinets for two teacups. He sets the cups on a tray with their tea and sugar and carries it to the table. He beckons her to join him. When she is seated across from him, he reaches over and takes her hands into his and says, "Explain away, my love. We have all night."


	3. A Return to the Beginning

"He found me. When he returned to Jötunheim," she started. "He said that he could sense my presence as he was negotiating with our father, Laufey. He told me he pitied me. How I was hidden and despised. I was born of royalty, yet without the characteristics that made our race what it was. I was born like him. Small and weak. I was not a Frost Giant."

"It made him angrier, I think. That our families put so much pride into strength and size. He found me, lurking in a corner, trying to get a glimpse of the man that I would come to know as my brother. He looked at me and whispered that he would make them all suffer for the injustices that they had done to the both of us. And then he took me by the hand, and I followed him. I would've followed him anywhere."

Bucky cleared his throat and interrupted her. "But you know what happened love. You know what he really is now. He destroyed Jötunheim, he betrayed the Frost Giants and his father Odin. He betrayed his brother. He cares for no one but himself. I'm not even sure if he cared about you."

"Well you and I don't know that, but I know one thing. He saved me. He could've destroyed me along with the rest of our race but he didn't. I want to say it's because I reminded him of himself. Lonely and misunderstood. No one took the time to look in my direction until my brother. I hope you can understand that."

Bucky brought her hands up to his lips and kissed her knuckles. His gesture brought chills down her spine. "I do. But I just can't help but think that he brainwashed you. Trust me, I'm the expert in being brainwashed." Minerva lets out a small laugh.

"You're not the same man you were before, Bucky. My brother on the other hand..." she sighed. "I really don't know what to think. On one hand, he was like a savior and on the other, he became my new jailer. I was struck with admiration and afraid of him at the same time. I didn't know what to expect as we were leaving Jötunheim, but he brought me to Asgard and hid me in a cave. He said it was the alternate route out of Asgard, a route that even Heimdall did not know about."

"We didn't have much time together. He told me to wait for him to return. That he would come back for me and that when this was all over, he would bring me out of the darkness and finally show me a world, where he was king and justice was served."

"But he never came back." Her voice was starting to crack so she took a sip of her tea. Bucky looked at her intently, waiting until she was ready to continue. "I was so afraid to disobey him, but days had passed and I was to the point of starvation. So I stepped out of my hiding place."

"The light blinded my eyes, but the warmth flowed through my body and somehow renewed my strength. I don't even remember how I managed to get to the city, but I was determined to survive. When I finally reached the capital, I collapsed out of sheer exhaustion."

"The family that took me in did not question who I was. All they saw was a frightened teenager in desperate need of help. They fed me and took care of my needs while I listened to their conversations."

"The mother and father spoke about how Loki was defeated by Thor and that he was lost. You already know that part. I lost the one person that gave a damn about me. I was devastated. I stayed with the family until I was fully recovered. I thanked them for their hospitality and then trekked back into the mountains."

"I found the cave again. And I walked inside. I walked for hours, welcoming the darkness and waiting for a dead end or a light at the end of a tunnel. At the end, I found Midgard. I found my new home, and I thought I was free. But it was just a thought." She yawned.

Bucky rose to take their cups and placed them in the sink. He walked up to her and held out his left arm. The metal gleamed at her. "C'mon, let's go back to bed. I guess we don't have all night for this. We have an early day tomorrow. You can tell me more after therapy, ok?"

Minerva placed her hand in his and he pulled her up next to him. "Alright, but I'm warning you. I'm afraid to fall asleep. My conversation with Loki wasn't finished."

"I will be right here." He said simply. Confidently. "Always."


	4. Dreaming Again

She must've been exhausted, because once her head hit the pillows, she fell asleep instantly. Bucky swept a few strands of hair off of her face and watched as the woman he loved dreamed on. "So much for sleeping," he thought to himself. Her brow was furrowed into a scowl and as he scooped her up to lay in his arms, he felt her tense. She said his name. "Loki..." she whispered.

"That bastard." He kissed her forehead. He held her as tightly as he could, and waited in the darkness for her to awaken. "Come back to me," he whispered in her ear.

She was taken back to Asgard, but instead of the throne room, she was now in his chambers. Her sadness left her and she grew angry again. He was there, waiting for her at his balcony. He stood casually, looking out at his kingdom with a smug smirk plastered on his face. She was starting to regret trying to paint him out as good person to Bucky. His arrogance was disgusting. She made her way towards him.

"My dreams! Even now, even in my dreams you control me! Why? What is the matter? How can I help glorify your cause while hiding in the sidelines? Bucky's right. You only care about yourself," she screamed. He kept his back turned to her.

"My dearest sister. Now now. There was a time when all I had to say was jump, and you would ask, how far?" He turned to face her now. "You say you were looking for me, and yet you chose to forget. You gave up. You let your weak heart take over the brilliant mind and the seed that I had planted. You and I. I still have so much to teach you. That's if you still want to learn."

"What does this have to do with your scepter? You're the king. Be content living your days as an old man, and leave me to live my life," she begged. Minerva sank down to her knees. She was tired of Loki and tired of arguing with someone who would never let her win. "I've changed, Loki. I am no longer the young girl who looked at her brother like he can do no wrong. Your actions and all the destruction you caused changed that."

Loki would have none of this display of weakness. He seized her by the wrists and yanked her back up. "Brother, you're hurting me," she winced.

He just laughed. It was cold. Evil. "You know my darling, you really have to thank Steve Rogers for all this. He told you about the Avengers and about all of your favorite heroes," Loki said sarcastically. While she struggled with him he continued, "But all it took was one mention of my name, and it was like a breath of fresh air. There you were. So I kept tabs on you. Like a good big brother. I actually like Bucky. I must meet him soon." He got tired of her struggling and pushed her down.

She used the palms of her hands to take the blunt of the fall, but the shock of pain coursed through her body regardless. "Get to the point already! Bucky and Steve have nothing to do with your scepter. What do want with it?! Where is it now? Why can't you get it yourself?" Despite being hurt, she rose.

"Ahhh that's better. Face me," he said. "I want it because the scepter belongs to me. Two. Some mortal named Wolfgang von Strucker has it. You know what the scepter has done and those mortals don't know what they're doing. And lastly, which is so obvious that I don't even know why you're asking, I'm supposed to be dead."

Loki approached her and took her wrists into his hands. She cringed. He looked at them tenderly like he was sorry he hurt her. This bipolar mood swing confused Minerva. He started to give her advice she did not need, "For now, I am the lesser of all evils you are surrounded by. Midgard isn't safe for you. I would rather you be here, under my care. SHIELD is no more. Therefore your Avengers aren't either. Or in any case, they're busy. I've missed you. Believe that." He let go of her hands and hugged her.

The show of affection surprised her and she shook him off. Loki looked offended, but Minerva held her ground. "No. I am staying on Earth. I will help the humans fight, and I will get your scepter back. But I will not be returning it to you. And one last thing. I'm going to find Thor. So much for your cover-up. Goodbye brother!" She said cheerfully. It was finally her turn to smirk.

"Noooooooo!" He screamed. He tried to reach out to grab her, but she had already disappeared. Thank goodness for alarm clocks.


	5. Confrontation

The alarm clock on their bedside table blared and Minerva woke up with a jolt. She blinked a few times to shake of the sleep, then checked to see what time it was. Seven-fifteen AM, the clock read. She slammed her palm over it and silence filled the room. There was still a bit of ringing in her ears, but she gave her clock a look of gratitude for getting her out of what was becoming a very uncomfortable situation. She laid on her bed for a few minutes more, contemplating on what she was about to do next.

The memories that she thought she had erased were overwhelming. Flashbacks of all the carnage she helped Loki achieve made her feel guilty. All she ever wanted was his approval. Losing him the first time around was hard. The second time... No words could explain the depth of her grief. The only solution was to do what she did. Clean slate, clean conscience. But so much for that, she thought. There is no way I will ever be free of Loki. Unless I kill him myself...

She felt powerful for once. She didn't think that there would come a day where she could finally tell him, NO. The God of Mischief was outsmarted by his insignificant baby sister. It made her laugh. The alarm clock rang again. It was now seven-twenty five. She whacked it once more and finally noticed that Bucky was not by her side.

It was not unusual for him to be up a few hours before her. Most mornings, he already had the coffee going and breakfast cooking by the time she finally woke up. But Minerva was still surprised to find him missing. She seemed to recall him holding her tight and saying "Come back to me" last night. If he was really worried, Bucky would've stayed up and kept her in his arms.

The smell of coffee seeped into their bedroom and snapped her out of her thoughts. She got up, threw on her room slippers and headed towards their kitchen. As she reached the entrance, she let out a gasp.

Sitting there, at her dining table across of Bucky, was her brother. The Asgardian armor was gone, replaced with a black long-sleeve shirt and dark-washed jeans. On his feet was a pair of Converse sneakers. Loki had put his hair up in a low ponytail. He looked very relaxed, and when he saw her, a smile slowly creeped up on his face. Any Midgardian woman would've swooned over how handsome he looked.

Bucky on the other hand was not doing so hot. He did stay up all night, judging from the dark circles forming on his eyes and from the way he held his cup of coffee like it was the most powerful substance on Earth. The five o'clock shadow and his messy hair contributed to how exhausted he looked. But there was something else. His jaw was tense. As if he was trying really hard to hold back from committing murder so early in the morning. He looked at Loki with disdain and Loki returned it with another smile.

"How are you here?!" She stammered. "I don't understand?! James Buchanan! Do something!" Minerva looked to her partner for some sort of reaction. Bucky stood up. He walked to the coffee pot to make her a cup of coffee. When he finished, he returned to his seat. She groaned.

"Come on babe. Sit down. We have a lot to talk about," he motioned for her to come over and sit to the left of him.

She warily made her way next to Bucky and sat down. Minerva stared at him and then at her brother. Loki was amused at her confusion. His long fingers gripped the coffee cup he was holding as he brought it to his lips. When he finished, he said, "Good morning. I told you that I would like to meet James. And I told you that I like him. He has made you happy in my absence, but now I have returned and you promised to help me. Oh and James, thank you for not taking my head my off. It would have been a pity if my sister found me dead in your kitchen. Or the other way around."

Minerva finally got the reaction she asked for. Bucky started to rise. He was shirtless. His pajama pants hung low on his hips and she was immediately distracted by his physique. His fists were clenched at his side and she could see all the muscles on his torso flex as if he was preparing to take Loki on. She grasped his left arm and pulled him back down. No one was dying today. Bucky turned her in frustration.

"Help him with what Minerva?" It was Bucky's turn to speak. "I've held off killing him until you woke up, but now the civilities are over." She looked down at her coffee and felt her stomach tightening in anxiety. To Loki he said, "Explain why you've come back. I don't appreciate you barging into our home unannounced."

"I am the king, and I do what I want." Loki said slowly. "And my sister, well... As evil as you think I am, she is the only person that I have ever truly cared for. She's very misguided from what I can see. She'd be better off coming back to Asgard with me. Especially with what will happen to this world if my scepter isn't returned to its rightful owner."

"What about Thor?" Minerva retorted. "He is your brother as well. Why can't I tell him you are alive? I can't do this on my own! I will not ask Bucky to come with me. He's already turned away from the life he lived in the past. He is no longer the Winter Soldier."

"Babe what are you talking about?! Let Loki solve his own problems. You don't owe him anything! Why are you volunteering to do his dirty work?" James cried.

"I don't know... I guess because I've always done whatever he told me to do. Even now, even with all the years that have gone by, habits die hard. The Minerva you knew would never let someone control her, but with my memories returned it's hard to distinguish who I really am." The tears started to fall. "I'm so confused, I just want to do the right thing."

"James, the dreams were just a prelude. She's been having dreams about me for months now. I've been returning her memories to her. Slowly, deliberately. The more I fed to her, the more she realized these were not ordinary dreams. Last night, I finally revealed to her that I was alive. You need to see your other half for who she really is. She needs her memories if she's to help me. You'll need all the skills she forgot if you want to save your home," Loki stated.

"Doesn't mean I'll let her do it," Bucky replied. "You still haven't explained why you need your scepter back. What is going to happen here on Earth?"

"You know what the scepter does love,"Minerva interrupted. "Steve told you about New York and the invasion of Chitauri, of how Loki used his scepter to control Dr. Selvig to create the machine to summon a portal for them to get through. How he used it to control Hawkeye. You know what Loki can do with it, imagine what kind of power that would be to a mortal."

"So we take it from whoever has it now and return it to the maniac who started all this trouble? Love, where is the logic in that?" Bucky retorted. Minerva winced. Bucky regretted his outburst and took her hands in his. "I'm sorry, but you don't have to do this. Let him take care of his own problems. It sounds like some selfish trick your brother is about to play on you."

Loki chuckled. "You are right about one thing James. Minerva, you do not have to do anything. Return to Asgard with me and let the general destroy this planet. Let the Avengers take care of this. They will find out soon enough. The one thing about impersonating Odin is that he knows all. That general controls two, very special specimens. With powers that I think only my sister can take on. So Minerva, make a decision. Let this planet burn. I will make an exception and let you bring James. Or take on this challenge and do the right thing. That is what you want right?"

She glanced at Bucky and then at her brother again. Bucky knew her so well. He knew her mind was made up before she said a word. She would never leave him or let her home be destroyed. Minerva would redeem herself for all the evil that Loki made her do. She was nothing like her brother. But what she did next surprised him.

She let go of his hands and placed hers on the table, palms up. As he watched her face, Minerva put on an expression of intense concentration. She closed her eyes and then a quick second later, he saw red sparks coming out of her palms. His left arm whirred at the static electricity the energy created. The sparks disappeared as quickly as they came. Minerva looked to her brother for approval and asked, "So when do we start?"

Loki chuckled again. "Oh my darling, you're going to need a whole lot of practice first. Luckily for you, I am an excellent teacher. I'll take the spare room while I am here."


End file.
